Award of Merit, K-12 Education: Isaac R. Montanez Elementary & Middle School

Isaac R. Montanez Elementary & Middle School

Calif.

Award of Merit

Submitted by C. Overaa & Co.

Owner Brentwood Union School District

Lead Design Firm Mulitstudio

General Contractor C. Overaa & Co.

Civil Engineer BKF Engineers

Structural Engineer Thornton Tomasetti

MEP Engineer EDesignC Inc.

Landscape Architect Base Landscape

Owner's Rep Cumming Group

Brentwood Union School District’s 13th school provides 38 classrooms for approximately 700 students and includes outdoor recreation spaces and community infrastructure improvements, funded largely by a school bond.

This $69-million school was named after Isaac "Ike" Montanez, a devoted teacher and principal who dedicated nearly 30 years to the community. Originally planned as two separate phases—first the elementary school, with the middle school to follow as funds became available—the team successfully merged both into a design-build project.

This streamlined approach accelerated construction and efficiencies that translated into significant cost savings for the district. As a result, the team delivered a 66,000-sq-ft elementary school and 24,000-sq-ft middle school on time and within budget in December 2024.

To mitigate potential delays, the team prefabricated 65% of the wood framing on site before full design approval, which shaved four months off the critical path.

Using pull scheduling, the team also established four key mini-milestones to track progress and keep teams unified and motivated across the two-year schedule. Daily trade partner huddles focused on navigating long-lead material procurement, labor planning, risk and safety as well as any administrative bottlenecks.